Tejbir Singh Anand, Managing Director, Holiday Moods Adventure, says Indian outbound cruise travellers are moving beyond conventional large-ship holidays towards niche, high-value and experience-led journeys. He highlights strong demand for Northern Lights sailings with Havila Voyages and Antarctica expeditions with Swan Hellenic.
Priyanka Saxena Ray
How is the Indian outbound cruise traveller evolving, and which cruise products or destinations are currently seeing the strongest demand from India?
The Indian outbound cruise traveller is rapidly maturing, transitioning from traditional mass-market, large-ship sightseeing voyages to high-value, niche, and deeply experiential journeys. Modern Indian travellers are looking for rare, once-in-a-lifetime “bucket list” adventures that blend luxury with sustainability and deep exploration.
Currently, we are witnessing an unprecedented and fastest-growing surge in demand for expedition and high-latitude cruises. Specifically, Havila Voyages’ Northern Lights cruises along the coastal fjords of Norway are seeing great traction, fuelled by travellers chasing natural wonders in a conscious, environmentally friendly format. Concurrently, Antarctica expedition cruises, such as those offered via Swan Hellenic’s 5-star luxury boutique ships, represent a massive pinnacle of growth.
How are geopolitical tensions, rising airfares and PM’s call for mindful travel impacting outbound cruise demand?
While macroeconomic challenges like surging airfares and geopolitical uncertainties naturally induce caution, the impact on ultra-premium and specialised experiential cruise segments remains highly resilient. Rather than cancelling plans, travellers are becoming hyper-selective—prioritizing high-yield, purposeful journeys over impulsive or repetitive holidays.
The Prime Minister’s emphasis on avoiding non-essential foreign travel further encourages a shift toward mindful, high-value outbound exploration. Because polar expeditions and boutique coastal cruises are fundamentally educational, low-impact, and deeply transformative, clients view them as “purposeful” investments in travel rather than frivolous trips. Rising airfares are being offset by travellers choosing all-inclusive, premium fly-cruise packages that guarantee cost certainty, keeping the long-term appetite for these unique polar maritime experiences robust.
How is your organisation working with the travel trade to make cruise holidays more relevant, accessible and easier to sell for Indian travellers?
As the official India distributor for leading sustainable cruise lines like Havila Voyages and Swan Hellenic, Holiday Moods Adventures is actively empowering the domestic travel trade through a dedicated B2B ecosystem. We have launched a specialized B2B portal that simplifies the complex booking mechanics of high-latitude cruises, offering travel agents free registration, direct access to fixed departures, and instant downloads of unbranded, white-label brochures.
Furthermore, we conduct regular educational webinars, destination training sessions, and offer 8% to 15% commission structures to ensure our trade partners can comfortably pitch complex regions like the Arctic and Antarctica. By demystifying remote maritime travel and providing end-to-end operational support, we make these premium cruise holidays highly accessible and highly profitable for Indian travel agents to sell.
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